Mekhi Phifer Leaving 'Lie to Me'

Just when FBI Special Agent Ben Reynolds starts seeing the light of the Lightman Group, this has to happen.

Mekhi Phifer's Ben Reynolds character will not be a part of the Fox's 'Lie to Me' in season 3 due to a change in the dramatic structure of the show. The Lightman Group, which is able to detect criminals through their body language and non-verbal clues, is severing ties with the FBI in season 3, according to a report from the Ausiello Files.

Consequently Phifer's Reynolds will no longer be needed to act as a liaison between the agency and the Lightman Group, headed by Tim Roth's Dr. Cal Lightman.

"The FBI franchise limited our storytelling a little bit because it had to adhere to the FBI structures of 'Would the FBI take this case or not?"' said executive producer David Graziano in the interview. "The character that's going to be our badge this season is a bent cop, Wolowsky (Monique Gabriela Curnen), who goes about business in a similar way to Lightman. There's a mutual respect from the get-go. We're working hard to make The Lightman Group a dysfunctional family.''

The shift comes at a time when Phifer's character was starting to come around to the ways of the Lightman Group.

"He's not as abrasive as he was at the beginning, because now he's starting to see that Lightman's techniques churn out good results,'' said Phifer to the Los Angeles Times last month.

The season 2 finale, 'Black and White,' takes place Sept. 13. Season 3 debuts Nov. 10.